Gary Neville: Julian Alvarez Could Make Arsenal Champions League Winners
The Premier League trophy is already in the cabinet, the Community Shield is back at the Emirates, and Arsenal have opened their title defence by brushing Coventry aside 3-0. Gary Neville still thinks they’re one signing short of Europe’s biggest prize.
For him, the missing piece has a name: Julian Alvarez.
“That would light this place up”
Neville watched Arsenal dismantle newly-promoted Coventry and came away impressed with the structure, the control, the depth. But not completely satisfied.
“What a squad [Mikel Arteta] has built,” Neville said on Sky Sports. “If he puts another forward into that, if they could get Julian Alvarez somehow, that would light this place up as you'd have a world-class striker to go with all the world-class defenders and midfielders.
“They wouldn't just become Premier League title winners they'd go the next step and win a Champions League. It's a massive 10 days. He needs a bit of magic up front - someone that can win a game for you when you don't play well.”
Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are all tracking the Argentina international. Atletico Madrid, though, are digging their heels in. CEO Miguel Angel Gil has already made it clear this summer they do not want to sell Alvarez and said they would not even accept £170m for the forward.
Neville’s response? Test that resolve. Push. See how serious Atletico really are.
Arteta’s focus vs Neville’s demand
Arteta, fresh from another statement win, struck a more measured tone in his post-match press conference. He pointed back to the training ground, not the transfer market.
“The main focus has to be to improve our players and the connection between them,” he insisted, highlighting how little Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White actually played together on the right last season because of injuries.
Arteta sees growth from within. Neville sees a ceiling that only a certain type of striker can smash through.
For him, Odegaard is the key to it all.
“He [Odegaard] is exceptional. If there was an Ian Wright-type player up front for Arsenal who makes those short runs he'd be even better,” Neville said.
Right now, he argued, the profiles of Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres shape the way Arsenal attack.
“As [Kai] Havertz and [Viktor] Gyokeres always come to the ball, Odegaard has to play possession rather than playing the slip passes. If Arsenal were to sign Julian Alvarez then he'd go up a level as it would be perfect for the style of play.”
The message is clear: give Odegaard a darting, penalty-box predator and Arsenal’s attack changes gear.
Carragher: World-class spark still missing
Jamie Carragher echoed Neville’s sense that Arsenal’s front line is still a touch short of the very top bracket, even if he sees the potential sitting right under Arteta’s nose.
“I still think Arsenal lack a world-class player in the front four,” Carragher said. “About two years ago I thought Saka and Odegaard would make that next step. For whatever reason it's not happened due to injuries or Arsenal not being at their best. Those two were close to getting to the levels shown by Man City and Liverpool players, like [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Erling] Haaland or [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mane. They took their teams to the title.
“Arsenal won the league without [Saka and Odegaard] doing it. They did it by having a great defence and goalkeeper. But I still think Saka and Odegaard can get back to where they were a couple of years ago.”
Carragher, though, doesn’t see a superstar signing as the only route to that level. Quite the opposite.
“The psychological factor of being champions now will take this Arsenal team to another level rather than buying a superstar player,” he added.
Neville wants a £100m-plus striker. Carragher thinks the mentality shift of being champions could unlock the same effect.
Odegaard and Tzolis spark a new-look Arsenal
On the pitch, the early signs suggest Arsenal’s attack already carries a different edge.
“Vinicius Jr this, Morgan Rogers that... Arsenal have shown that their transfer window was better than many made out,” wrote Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz from the Emirates.
Christos Tzolis, in particular, changed the mood. After five quiet minutes, he exploded into life down the left. Two shots, two chances created in four minutes. Suddenly Coventry were clinging on.
It was no surprise to see him heavily involved in the two goals that killed the contest. First, he won the ball high up the pitch for one strike. Then he whipped in the cross for Saka to score the second.
On the other flank and in the middle, Odegaard picked up where he left off at Wembley. He followed his standout Community Shield performance with his first league goal of the season, already matching last season’s Premier League tally after a campaign wrecked by injuries that saw him miss 30 games in all competitions.
This was only the second time since December 2024 that Saka, Odegaard and Havertz had started together. All three found the net against Coventry. All three looked sharper for it.
“Odegaard is like a new signing,” Blitz observed. With three open-play goals already, Arsenal’s attack feels refreshed, quicker, more ruthless.
The champions have a new energy, a new balance, and a deep, versatile squad.
Now comes the question that will define their season: is that enough to conquer Europe, or will Arsenal gamble big on the kind of striker Gary Neville believes turns contenders into Champions League winners?
